right now on "andrea mitchell reports" president obama will roll out his afghanistan strategy next tuesday night from the u.s. military academy at west point. 30,0 30,000 or more troops are expected to be sent to the war zone. a final decision is not yet made. the president will be dropping in on a u.n. climate change summit in copenhagen next month on his way to accept the nobel peace prize in nearby norway. environmental activists already saying that is not good enough. we'll have more. plus, today's state visitor at the white house was a 45-pound turkey reprieved in a long standing white house tradition. >> thanks to the interventions of malia and sasha. because i was planning to eat this sucker. courage will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate. there are certain days that remind me of why i ran for this

office. then there are moments like this where i pardon a turkey and send it to disney land. now, before this turkey gets too nervous that bo will escape and screw up this pardon, or before i change my mind, i hereby pardon courage. >> the undressed turkey, courage, arrived only 24 hours after more formally attired visitors graced the white house. it's the first lady's fabulous dress, of course, that has everyone talking today. good day. i'm andrea mitchell in new york. president obama will brief congress and, of course, the allies on his afghanistan strategy before addressing the nation tuesday night at west point. right to the big story at the white house. nbc's savannah guthrie live on the north lawn. why west point? how are they going to roll this out? >> reporter: they chose west point because, of course, he'll be speaking to a military

audience. in particular, what they consider to be the future leaders in the military. obviously the army has also shoulder add great deal of the burden in afghanistan. they had always wanted to do this in front of a military audience. west point makes sense. it certainly has some precedent. remember the big 2002 prevention doctrine. bush's preventive war doctrine was anunsuated at west point. there's history there. what i'm told is that even senior staff right now don't know the president's final decision. he has not communicated it to them. so when you hear these troop numbers, you really have to put an asterisk next to them. i think we are going to end up in a range around 30,000. it could be a little less, a little more. but i can't emp hasize enough this is something of a moving target with the actual troop number. they're just starting to get this speech together to try to start this rollout which is an enormous task. not only do you have to brief

members of congress, of course, and they're going to be at the white house on tuesday for that, but also all of the allies. the foreign ministers meeting the day after the speech, next wednesday in brussels. there's a lot of work to be done here, andrea. >> there is a lot of work to be done. although there is in this latest, the newest gallup poll today encouraging news for the white house. there's more public support, at least, for adding troops. for adding 40,000 more is up two points. less than 40,000 up three percentage points. reducing the numbers, down 5 percentage points. there's more -- more people now favoring than disfavoring sending more troops. >> reporter: yes. this has to hearten the white house to see that trend. but, of course, many other polls have shown an american public deeply divided over the war. the president's work is really cut out for him. certainly militarily, diplomatically in afghanistan itself, but also politically. look, the support he has for sending more troops is largely from folks who didn't vote for

him. let's face it. certainly he faces issues in congress with democrats, prominent democrats, openly questioning the cost of the war and whether or not there should be an escalation. so this is going to be a real feat for him to sell it to the american public, to explain what is the strategy, how are we getting out, to lay out this time frame. although we're told there's not going to be hard deadlines in this speech. but also the political feat he'll have to accomplish. >> at least at this time 47% of americans favoring putting more troops in. i want to talk to you about climate change. let me just bring everyone up to date on something that's just happened i think while you've been out on the lawn. george mitchell, special envoy for the middle east has been briefing at the state department. simultaneously in an obviously coordinated move, benjamin netanyahu has announced there will be a ten-month temporary freeze on israeli settlement expansion in the west bank. this after months of tension and real friction, particularly with

the threatened resignation of mahmoud abbas, the palestinian leader, and a lot of pressure now on benjamin netanyahu to back down from his previous hard line onset settlements. george mitchell is praising it. netanyahu has addressed the cabinet. maybe this will get the frozen, stalemated middle east situation off the dime. t the administration has faced a lot of criticism for how they've handled this. >> reporter: i would think so. this has, as you said, been a very stalled process. they're protrortraying this as progress. i'm learning the news from you as we speak. they've been looking for momentum. the issue of settlements has been difficult. there are sort of some diplomatic slips when the secretary of state hillary clinton was overseas.

so i think they'll be hoping that this moves the ball forward. >> exactly right. speaking of moving the ball forward, climate change. after a lot of criticism that the united states was the last of the major industrialized nations to even set targets and with the legislation stalled on the hill, at least not moving as rapidly as some would like, the president announced today, you broke the story earlier today that the president will stop in copenhagen. the environmental activists already saying he's going at the wrong time. he's going at the beginning, not at the end when the other heads of state are going to be there and where the real deals are going to be made. >> reporter: well, that's right. and i think their response here would be, look, he's going. i think there was a very much open question for a while there whether he would make it to copenhagen at all. i think the timing of it is really a function of his schedule. he's going to be in europe on the 10th in oslo, norway, to accept the nobel peace prize. the leaders summit was the 17th and 18th.

there was just no feasible way for him to combine the two unless he avoids the leaders summit, which he's going to do. they say, look, he's going. he's going to come in offering hard targets for emissions reductions that the u.s. is prepared to put on the table. targets that will be in line ultimately with the legislation that comes out of the congress. they think, look, we are making a serious commitment to climate change. >> of course, there's always the contrast with al gore. this was al gore on "saturday night live" when asked about the president's position on the environment by seth myers. let's watch. >> how do you feel president obama has done so far in regards to the environment? >> well, seth, there is a lot on the president's plate right now. health care, afghanistan, the economy. and i understand that it's hard to deal with everything at once. but at the same time, he was elected with an overwhelming mandate. i mean, he won the popular vote, seth. and we all know that's the one that counts.

>> al gore always did know how to laugh at himself. the president on the climate change issue, savannah, it is being criticized as too little too late. they finally set targets on the table today. 17% reduction of the 2005 emission level by 2020. that's the low side. that's the house bill. not the senate bill. which is 20% reductions. it doesn't seem as though this is going to satisfy all of his critics. >> reporter: oh, probably not. but, look, i mean, they're going to say progress -- some progress is worth something. and at least he's going. they say it's in the range of 17%. they were very careful about that. because we have to see how the senate bill comes out. but the larger issue is, is there going to be a senate bill? we've got health care reform. we've got afghanistan. this cap and trade bill is a huge undertaking. so it's not at all clear with the president going to copenhagen that he'll be able to

confidently promise there's going to be a bill out of the senate, we are going to get this thing done. i think that is going to be something many leaders at the summit will want to know about. i guess the leaders won't get there for another week. he'll be hearing from others. >> some critics say that the legislative proposals are turkeys, which is a really bad way to talk about the other visitor at the white house today. >> reporter: let's talk turkey, andrea. >> we had courage, the white house turkey. this is a tradition. this was the president joking a little bit about some of the confusion and criticism of his own claims, his administration's claims on the jobs created by the stimulus bill. >> just in case courage can't fulfill his responsibilities, walter brought along another turkey, carolina, as an alternate. the stand-in. later this afternoon, michelle, malia, sasha and i will take two of their less fortunate brethren to martha's table, an organization that does extraordinary work to help folks

here in d.c. who need it the most. so today, all told, i believe it's fair to say that we have saved or created four turkeys. >> so courage now takes a first-class flight, a united flight to disneyland -- disney world, i guess it is. he's the grand marshal of the thanksgiving day parade. >> then it's retirement. the turkey stayed at the willard hotel last night and is frankly going to have a more exciting thanksgiving weekend than i am. i'm working all weekend. he's going to disneyland. >> good shout out to martha's table that does tremendous work in the nation's capital. our thanks to you, savannah. happy holiday. >> thanks to you, too. the focus, of course, of the president's afghanistan announcement will extend well beyond just the numbers of troops. let's bring in our panel to talk about that. retired army general barry mccaffrey and nbc news military

analyst and former national security announcer and political analyst. to you, general mccaffrey, i know you're on the faculty at west point. you know it well. what kind of reception will the president have for rolling out his big speech tuesday night there at the academy? >> of course he's an immensely popular figure, particularly among young people. it's a great platform. it's outside the beltway. it's a place where in the past serious national security reform policy speeches have been presented to the american people. that's who he's talking to. it's a good, friendly audience. terrific young people. it's a good choice. >> josh, let's talk about the way this is going to be received on capitol hill and throughout the rest of the nation. what does your reporting tell you? >> i think it's going to be a very tough sell for the president, particularly with members of his own party. you have people like the senate foreign relations committee chairman john kerry who interestingly, andrea, was sitting at the president's table at the state dinner last night

who have staked out positions that really call for no additional troops to go into afghanistan. so how they're going to sort of bridge the divide here and whether they'll say, well, we were so persuaded by what obama had to say on this subject that positions, i think it's going to be awkward for people like him, and even for vice president biden. it's a tough sell particularly with his own party. >> what about carl levin? general mccaffrey, carl levin, the armed services chairman, has talked about benchmarks. are these benchmarks that the senate critics are talking about? are they even achievable in terms of rampi ining up the afg forces as quickly as they would say. increasing the afghan army from 92,000 to 240,000 soldiers by 2012, getting the afghan police force which has widely criticized from 84,000 to

160,000 in that time? are those realistic goals? >> maybe not. but clearly, i think, all of us agree, certainly general mcchrystal's strategy says you've got to build the afghan national security forces or we can't get out of there. the army in particular, which has come along quite well, what we're going to see out of this additional u.s. resource is the ability to hold off the taliban who are now resurging while we build the afghan army. i think -- by the way, i just got back from afghanistan. my gut instinct was more positive coming out of this visit than it has been in years. >> that's encouraging. of course, it's a rare warning posted by the taliban leader today on their website saying that any afghan troop increase is doomed to fail. more u.s. troops won't help. he's calling on afghan people to break their ties with the afghan

government. so there's a lot of pushback there. that could be just a lot of propaganda as well. hard to say. josh, what about the money figures? we've heard from the appropriations chair on the house side, the criticism of what these costs are going to be? we saw peter orszag sitting, the budget director, sitting at the table at the national security council final meeting on afghanistan. clearly the president is also asking these questions. how do we spend a million dollar a troop? >> exactly, peter orszag said publicly that to send 30,000 troops over there would cost on the order of $30 billion a year. $30 billion a year. so you're talking about an extraordinarily expensive undertaking. you do have people like representative obie and i think senator levin as well saying there ought to be some sort of tax to go along with this. i don't think that's going to fly very far at the white house, at least in the short term. the president's on the record as saying it would be a mistake to raise any taxes in the next year

or so. maybe they could arrange some on a time line that would allow this. it's a very tricky way to set up this coalition to support what will have to be a supplemental bill at some point to have additional folks for the additional funding for these troops. >> thank you so much. barry mccaffrey, thank you so much. happy holiday to both. still ahead, the economy showing signs of life with an encouraging report on the new jobless claims today. we'll be talking about that. coming up next. at the first sign of a cold...

( sneezing ) i didn't take zicam cold remedy... but i did. zicam reduces the duration of a cold. ( sneezing ) no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no... can you do it by 3:00 ? yes, i can. how about 2:00 ? hmm... ( sneezing ) ( moaning ) get over your cold faster. now try new throat-soothing liqui-loz and great-tasting zavors.

some new positive signs. a few positive signs on the economy today. joining us now, let's talk about

those job leless claims. how significant is it that for the first time they fell below 500,000, the first time since january. we're still talking about 466,000 people filing new claims. but is this an improvement that indicates we're finding our way out of this mess? >> it's definitely a positive sign. it's a positive sign because it comes as we're getting other sort of affirming signals that the economy continues to slowly clamber out of recession. going back a bit, we learned yesterday the economy only grew at a 2.8% annual rate in the third quarter. that was a downward revision from the original estimate of 3.a%. that was kind of a downer. we've learned that since the third quarter ended, things were actually pretty good in october. so there was a drop in jobless claims. which suggested that layoffs are becoming a little bit less prevalent. you have to be a little cautious. these numbers get pushed around by the volatility associated with thanksgiving ands other holidays. nonetheless, a good sign. we all learned today that

consumer spending was a bit stronger than expected in october. and that sales of new homes also rose surprisingly in october. part of that was, of course, people trying to rush to beat the expiration of the home buyer tax credit. there does seem to be an underlying strength here that suggests that the recovery remains intact. >> the market, of course, has been up as well. maybe not day-to-day, but the trend lines all up. that increases a wealth effect for a lot of people with 401( 401(k)s. at the same time that increases the rage, the anger out there that we've seen in some of these hearings recently at the way wall street is doing better and main street's still suffering from this lagging unemployment. >> yeah. i think main street looks at wall street and says, where's my rally? we have the dow over 10,000 and holding in there. that's been extremely good for all the financial companies that traffic in stocks and bonds and so forth. if it's any comfort to main street, one of the reasons the market is doing well is that

corporate profits have actually held up remarkably well. not just the banking sector but other industrial companies. they're doing better than expected. one of the reasons was because companies were so aggressive about cutting costs, including laying people off. that means that now that sales seem to be coming back, i think we can expect companies to start hiring people back soon. i'd be surprised if we weren't seeing positive job growth by the first quarter. >> now, does that contradict the fed report, the recent fed report this week that suggested that unemployment will remain high for quite a long time to come? >> no. it's totally consistent. because you can actually have employment growing but unemployment not dropping just because you have to create a certain number of jobs every month just to keep up with growth in the labor force. the bottom line is that we're looking at growth over the next few quarters of about 3%. that would be okay in normal times. we've just come out of a savage recession. our historic experience is that after a recession of this scale you would expect to see growth on the order of 6% to 8%.

why aren't we seeing numbers like that? it's because the financial system continues to be in very weak condition. the federal deposit insurance corporation reported yesterday bank lending contracted in the third quarter although it has sense leveled o-- since leveled off a bit. that weakness in the financial system still makes it hard to get -- for small businesses and households to get loan g. >> thank you very much. nobody knows what steps congress is going to take when they come back. thanks for being with us. still ahead, the story of a journalist who in somalia has survived despite constant death threats and violence around him. i'll be joined by the courageous reporter who was honored last night for his extraordinary efforts by the committee to protect journalists. s on! if you're not into fake sword fights pointy slippers and green wool tights take a tip from a knight who knows free credit report dot com, let's go! vo: offer applies with enrollment in triple advantage.

to stand behind all who serve. ♪ to deliver the technologies... vital to freedom. ♪ to help carry hope to those in need. ♪ around the globe, the people of boeing... are working together -- for what matters most. that's why we're here. ♪ (announcer) we understand. you need to save money. it's so hard to choose one. you know, during the sign then drive event, you can get a cc, tiguan or fuel-efficient jetta for practically just your signature. you can get scheduled maintenance at no cost. there's gotta be more to it than that. [ car door closes, tires screech ]

[ engine revs ] ♪ [ tires screech ] [ pen scratches ] [ camera shutter clicks ] i'll never doubt you again. [ male announcer ] sign then drive is back. hurry in and get legendary volkswagen value for practically just your signature. ♪ for practically just your signature. and the last thing you see at night. it's the first thing ♪ [ piano ]the morning. it stresses you out. ♪ [ pop ] it calms you down. it helps you remember. it helps you forget. it keeps you connected. it's the only thing you own that is always within an arm's reach. which is why you don't need to get a phone. you need a phone that gets you. and you. and you. and we are htc. - 29 degrees. - i knew it was a little high. and there's no better place to do just that than walgreens -- where you can get vitamins, supplements, cold remedies, as well as helpful advice from friendly pharmacists.

i've got a little stiffness in my wrist. aisle 4. new express refills from walgreens.com. refill prescriptions online from wherever you are. walgreens. there's a way to find your joy. ♪ ♪ walgreens. there's a way to find your joy. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] every penny counts. so does every moment. make the most of both this holiday season with great gifts at great prices from l.l. bean. ♪ the president and first lady

stage their first elegant state dinner last night. the first state dinner for this white house. sally quinn, "washington post" reporter and cofounder of on faith, also a thor of the new column in the style section "the party" about entertaining. salary, great to see you. what a night it was. let's talk about the dinner and what you think it accomplished and also this debut for michelle obama's first major entertainment. >> i think it was -- couldn't have been -- the timing couldn't possibly have been better. as we're about to make a decision about how many troops to send to afghanistan. we need the indians more than we ever have before. and we need their friendship, and we need their support. not only in afghanistan but in pakistan. we all know that there's a lot of tension there. i think that the prime minister said it very well last night when he, in his toast, when he talked about a strategic partnership. so when people look at this and say this is a glitsy, glamorous,

frivolous dinner party they are so wrong. as you know, andrea, very well, this is serious diplomacy. how you perform and how you honor your guest makes a huge difference in terms of how they will then respond to the people of the united states. and how much they will support us in our goals in afghanistan and pakistan. >> if the indians felt slighted, as many said that they did, many in the official circles after the president's trip to china not mentioning india in a major way, they couldn't have felt slighted after last night's extravaganza. just watching the toasts and the reciprocal comments by prime minister singh, he seemed really overwhelmed and touched by the hospitality, the warmth of the embrace. >> he clearly was. this is their first state dinner. they couldn't have made a better choice. india is absolutely crucial in that whole area. not only as i mentioned afghanistan and pakistan, but also china as well.

india has nuclear weapons. so does pakistan. they have tensions between them over kashmir. there was a bombing in mumbai. we really need their support. what we do need is not to have the indians be so hostile to the pakistanis that they can't help us out with that government as well. so we really have to tap down the tensions in that area. and i think that they really pulled out all the stops last night to say, look, we want you to be our friends. you know, they're representing us. you and i were as well as the obamas hosts and hostesses of that dinner last night. the american people hosted india. and we were saying, we want you to be our friends. we know how valuable an ally you are to us. we know that this is, as the prime minister said, a strajic partnership. we understand that. and it was beautiful. everything about it was beautiful. including michelle obama's dress. >> i was going to say -- >> designed by an

indian-american designer. >> you and i could be hosts of something not anything like that. you, perhaps, more than i. but neither of us could have that dress and wear it so brilliantly. it is just extraordinary. let's talk about the few quibbles. i know you were on "larry king live" last night. i fell out just watch ing. let's play a little bit of the long standing pastry chef who was offended by the down home character of the desserts. >> i served the country of india many, many time. the flavor used in dessert would be flavor that are well recognized in india, that they could affiliate with and could recognize. i think it's very important for them when they come to america or to any other country -- >> i think, though -- >> that they can see what they eat. they can recognize the food. >> i think the same is -- >> well, they went back and forth and back and forth. but basically he was saying that they used to, as you know, salary, make extravagant

desserts that were particularly designed for the country that was being hosted. and for the guests they spend seven weeks designing a particular country's specific dessert. here it was pecan pie and pumpkin pie. do you think that's a quibble? >> well, obviously if you are the pastry chef, you want the pastry to be the extravagant part of the meal. i can see his point. i think that it's always nice if you come out with some incredible flaming something or make a grand statement at the end. they could have done that. i don't think that the prime minister or anyone else was slighted by it or would have even thought of it if he hadn't mentioned it. i can see his point. if you're the pastry chef you would really want to be featured. >> bringing in a guest chef as well, it was something that didn't sit well with some of the culinary types. in any case, sally, a brilliant evening, a brilliant dress. and some serious policy

decisions. >> absolutely. >> thank you very much. "the party" and "on faith." i don't know how you're doing it all. thanks for joining us. up next, atlantic media's ron brownstein joining us next to talk health care. we do more than just answer phones. we give you peace of mind. i have diabetes like a lot of us here, so we understand. compassion. patience. you'll find it anytime you call. our customers say we're number one. plus, they're grateful we're located in the us,

where we also manufacture... the accu-chek aviva meters and test strips. americans caring for americans. that makes us proud. accu-chek customer care born in the usa.

the senate starts debating health care on the floor next week. but, meanwhile, president obama has assigned some homework, telling his staff to read our next guest's latest analysis. you really set off a storm. i can see all those cabinet and sub cabinet officials going home and studying your blog. basically, your article analyzed the cost curve bending effect. and you came up with some people, including mark mcclellan, george bush's medical expert, saying that this actually would work. that they have taken at least a lot of the best elements. >> right. you know, there are really two elements in the cost side of

health care reform. first of all, happy thanks giving to you. >> same to you, ron. >> everybody watching. there are two elements. one is the kind of immediate offsets in federal programs and taxes and revenue and spending to balance against the cost of expanding coverage. and, you know, the congressional budget office has estimated that over the first decade that the revenue and the savings in this bill would exceed the costs by about $130 billion and by even larger sums in the second decade. perhaps even more importantly, on the other hand, has received less attention, are the elements of health care reform that are designed to, quote, bend the curve over the long term and change the financial incentives in the medical system that will help us restrain the growth of costs. many experts believe it is very strong, andrea. obviously with some deficiencies, compromises ands

backtracks here and there. but overall put together a strong package to deal with the long term challenge of trying to change the financial incentives that will encourage more efficient care over the long term. >> yet at the same time, any time there's any suggestion about giving up particular screenings, and we know what happened last week with mammograms and cervical cancer, one controversial one pretty much agreed to, there could be serious problems as they move forward in taking peer review decisions and putting them in effect. >> and it's going to be a challenge, as we talked about. look, the long-term cost containment in the bill, in the senate bill, which is built largely on the ideas that the senate finance committee came up with and max baucus are organized around two central principles. one is to try to create carrots and sticks for physicians, hospitals and other providers to try to encourage more efficient and more quality care. so, for example, hospitals would be penalized if too many people acquire infections while they're in the hospital or too many patients are readmitted too quickly.

doctors who order up the most tests and so forth might have their medicare reimbursements reduced. the second prong here is to encourage more coordination among teams of providers to manage people's overall care more effectively. there's some long-term changes that are embodied in this bill that haven't received a lot of attention. >> getting more attention now thanks to the recommendation of the president. you're on the reading list. thanks so much. >> we'll take the readers where we can find them these days. >> absolutely. now to somalia. in the horn of africa, widely considered a failed state, somalia has been in nearly nonstop civil war since the early 1990s. the toll has devastating. there is a small group, a small group of reporters still brave, facing these perilous threats to get their stories out. most have fled. one who has remained joins me now. this is a great privilege. last evening the committee to protect journalists awarded him for his extraordinary efforts. mustafa haji abdinur, the correspondent for -- editor in

chief of radio simba. thank you for joining us. first of all, congratulations on the award. you described last night to an audience -- enormous audience here in new york city what you face, you and your colleagues. what is the situation for journalists trying to cover this civil war? >> well, in a country which has been in chaos for a long time, that's 20 years now, it's very difficult for a journalist to practice his duty or her duty. because you're dealing with people who cannot understand what you are doing there. the freedom of the press. so it's very hard times. nobody can feel what it could mean being a journalist inside somalia. >> as you described it, it's a failed state. there's no government. there's fo central government. there's no one to turn to. no court system. no system of justice to protect

you. you describe losing one of your mentors. you heard gunfire. what happened when you ran out of your office? >> well, it had been one of the worst incidents that happened to me, to my friend. it's just like it happened to me. because we have been discussing the day before the difficult situation that we have been working. so my friend, i still remember him being in front of me. because he has been killed very close to my office. few meters away from where i stay. i hear the gunshots. sometimes i still can hear them in my head, the gunshots. i have seen his body lying in a pool of blood. so -- but nobody has been asking about his death. no justice. i couldn't even attend his funeral. and say -- extends my condolence to his relatives. >> because of the threat? >> because of the threat, yeah.

>> thousand, most of the journalists have left. b why do you stay? >> it's just like devoting. journalism in somalia. i believe i am sacrificing. even if it takes my life, i'd like to be in the line of duty just to give the information of my country to the rest of the world. >> you're 27 years old, mustafa. your family has had to leave for their own protection? >> yes. they have to -- they have had to leave in 2008 because of the insecurity. because in the neighborhood i lived, they had been -- they couldn't live there. everybody has left. they were among those that fled mogadishu. i still stay because i do my job there. >> what inspires you? most of us last night, we were sitting in awe, frankly, of your ability to see what journalism

means. and we practice it every day in these safe environments. you do it on the front lines with nobody backing you up. what inspires you to keep doing that? >> well, just like, as i said, when you start doing something, it's just like you're insisting into doing that thing. and journalism is my life. doing this thing that i'm doing is just like being part of my life. so i really appreciate that many people do know at this time the hard time i'm working under in somalia. and it's very different doing journalism in somalia than doing it in america. and the other parts of the world. by the way, i get some friends from the foreign media outlets who tell me that i'm doing great. so i'm very proud of that. and it gives me a lot of courage. >> indeed, you should be. the committee to protect

journalism honored you and other courageous journalists last night. and it's something on thanksgiving we are thankful for your work and thankful for the rights and privileges that we enjoy here in america. thank you very being with us. >> thank you. up next, an inside look at justice sk justice's years on the bench. gs as big as their imaginations. son: ...and a remote control airplane that can fly into outerspace... even if my budget isn't. son: ...and a robot that makes cotton candy... anncr: there are now over a hundred new rollbacks on the season's hottest toys, many for only $10 or less. christmas costs less at walmart. save money. live better. walmart.

transform drinks you want, into cold medicine you need. introducing fast crystal packs. a new way from alka-seltzer plus to... get cold and flu relief in a taste-free, fizz-free powder. alka-seltzer plus. uh... yeah?

you gonna ask him this time? about what? our erectile dysfunction. shh...no...i don't want to talk about it. look, you're not alone, millions of men with ed have talked to their doctors. i don't know... we can do this. okay... (announcer) talking to your doctor about ed may be the last thing you want to do, but it's definitely a conversation worth having. twenty million men have had their viagra talk. when you're ready for yours... you'll find helpful tips on talking to your doctor at viagra.com ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. don't take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects may include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. talk to your doctor today... and ask if viagra is right for you.

with 23 years on the supreme court bench justice scalia has been described as combative, brilliant and charming. the latest biography, "american original." it offers an insightful and colorful description into the life of this extraordinary supreme court justice. joan joins me now. "usa today" supreme court reporter, of course, and author.

thanks so much. let's talk about the insolence that this justice has on the court. how large a figure is he on this court? >> he's very large now, andrea. and part of it's come from the play of poll tuitics and his da persistence. when he came on in 1986 he was really a dissenter, issuing battle cries beyond his marble walls walls. he's been joined by more conservatives. as i argue in the book, he's kind of aproorrived at the apex his judicial career. we saw that with the second amendment right to own guns case just last term. >> in fact, in that case, he'd gone hunting and was involved with the former vice president, dick cheney. he's a formidable supporter of gun rights. at the same time, was sitting and ruling on cheney and deciding, you know, the major

decisively the major gun case last term. >> yes. you're talking about a couple different cases there, andrea. you're definitely right. here's a man who's really known for living large. opera viewing with ruth bader ginsburg. duck hunting with dick cheney. one of the cases the court heard a couple of years ago, dick cheney was at the center of it. justice scalia with a lot of controversy declined to sit out the case. just a few years later the justices ruled on the second amendment right to bear arms and said for the first time in history that it's an individual right, not just a right for state militia such as national guards. that rules really, i think, demonstrated how far justice scalia had come from the era when he was dissenting. probably the biggest majority opinion he had had in his career. >> he and steve briar are really the opposite polar ends of this particular court. this was their colloquy with our

own pete williams recently in arizona. >> okay. great. >> the question becomes, where do we draw the line today? not where they drew the line in the 18th century. but where do we draw the line today in terms of the values that they enacted into that constitution in the 18th century. >> what circumstances have changed? death was death then. death is death now. 18 was 18 men. 18 is 18 now. you're talking about applying different values. >> what about practices that were followed at the time of the founding? ear notching. the pillory. if cases like that arose, would you find likely that they're constitutional? >> i'd find their constitutional and stupid. >> that's sort of the character. you can just imagine what their judicial conferences are like. >> right. that was a wonderful clip. because it embodied both kind of the way he is on the law, but also how captivating he can be. andrea, a lot of liberals disagree with just about everything he says.

but can't help but devour his opinions and watch clips like that where he can, you know, he has a certain persistence and a certain charm and certainly a very persuasive, engaging tone that gets attention. >> well, it's a great book. and you got extraordinary access ands insight. i know just from having been in washington for so many years what a captivating person he is. he's had a huge influence on the court. it is so fascinating to watch particularly the debate between the -- the ongoing debate between briar, justice briar and justice scalia. and you've captured so much of it in your book. thank you very much. congratulations, joan. >> thank you. happy thanksgiving, andrea. >> same to you. what political story will be making headlines in the next 24 hours on thanksgiving day? that next on "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. ...and new questions about which pain reliever is right for your body. tylenol 8 hour works with your body,

with one layer that dissolves quickly... ...one layer that lasts all day ...and no layers that irritate your stomach the way that ibuprofen can. it's tough on your body pain. not on your body.

so, what story will be making political headlines in

the next 24 hours? nbc news chief pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has more on that your very location tells the story, jim. >> that's right, andrea it is afghanistan, afghanistan and afghanistan. while all of us are waiting around until pentagon delivers his speech at west point next tuesday, to figure out exactly how many additional forces he is willing to send to afghanistan, whether it is 30, 32 or 34,000, the u.s. military is not waiting around, waiting for that announcement. they have a pretty good idea already. and in fact, we are being told here at the pentagon that a marine battalion of 1,000 mar reaps out of camp lejeune is already making preparations to leave and once president obama delivers his speech two days later on thursday, secretary of defense robert gates is expected to sign the deployment order for those marines out of camp lejeune, north carolina, and that unit should be on the ground in southern afghanistan before christmas, andrea.

>> but the full team, in terms of the full deployment takes so much longer to ramp up than people realize. this is going to be a quick move off the mark before christmas but then how long will the full rollout take? >> these marines have an advantage because they are an expeditionary force, a smaller group and always poised to go somewhere, the somewhere this time just happens to be in afghanistan, but to move those larger army brigades, combat brigades that is going to take some time and take time for the u.s. military to blupd the infrastructure to house those additional forces, so you know, it is estimated that it will take, you know, nearly a year before all 32 to 34,000 additional forces will get on the ground there in afghanistan. but also, you know, the military is not going to wait until each and every one of those soldiers and marines are on the ground either. there are already rigorous plans under way, according to officials we are talking to, for

some very intense offensive operations there in afghanistan. probably some time shortly after the first of the year. >> and of course, a lot of these troops are going to be coming from iraq, so going to see a real shift in what america's priorities are. that's right, andrea. >> thank you so much, jim miklaszewski at the pentagon, the best to you and your family for a good, healthy and happy thanksgiving. and to all our troops, the men and women around the world protecting our country, our thanks to all of you, thank you for your service. wishing all of you well, i'm andrea mitchell v a happy thanksgiving. we will see you back here monday. up next, contessa brewer, right here only on msnbc. le annncer ] for a better-looking tomorrow. vicks nyquil cold & flu. the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold...medicine. ♪

people think that honda is always the most fuel efficient choice. well, this chevy cobalt xfe has better highway mileage than a comparable honda civic. this chevy traverse has better mileage than honda pilot. the all-new chevy equinox has better mileage than honda cr-v. and chevy malibu has better mileage than accord. however, honda does make something that we just can't compete with. it's self propelled. chevy. compare us to anyone and may the best car win.

like she was drifting away. we wanted to be there for her... to hold on to her. mom's doctor said his symptoms were signs of alzheimer's, a type of dementia, and that prescription aricept could help. it's thought aricept may reduce the breakdown of a vital chemical in the brain. studies showed aricept slows the progression of alzheimer's symptoms. it improves cognition and slows the decline of overall function. (announcer) aricept is well tolerated but not for everyone. people at risk for stomach ulcers or who take certain other medicines should tell their doctors because serious stomach problems such as bleeding, may get worse.

some people may experience fainting. some people may have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bruising, or not sleep well. some people may have muscle cramps or loss of appetite or may feel tired. in studies these were usually mild and temporary. (woman) if it helps mom be more like herself longer, that's everything to us. (announcer) don't wait. talk to your doctor about aricept. making the perfect holiday pie requires one skill the ability to gracefully accept compliments a potential mess for president obama on afghanistan. he is planning his prime time strategy announcement and preparing for criticism from the anti-war left, the gung ho right and the lawmakers who have to find a way to pay for the war. we will examine how he will balance competing concerns. late flights, bad service,

stuck for hours in an airport. hey, tweet about it. passengers are pummeling the airlines online when they encounter travel snafus. lots of families are headed home for the holidays and some will stay there because of lost jobs or money troubles. we get real about successful adults forced to move back in with mom or dad. hello, everybody, glad to have you along here on msnbc. i'm contessa brewer. we have those stories. plus, how in the world do you catch a suspect based on this artist's rendering? going to give the scoop here behind the sketch. let's begin today with the president's big sell on afghanistan. after months of debit and argument over the strategy, the president is preparing his decision. at 8 p.m. tuesday night, he will make the announcement during a televised address to the american people from west point military academy. nbc news mike viqueira is at the white house with more on the president's decision. i understand pentagon officials are telling nbc news that there is a battalion of 1,000 marines from camp lejeune, could be the first of american